


better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)

by wintervioleteye (hawkguyed)



Series: better the devil you know [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, I blame the Mikkelsen siblings, Lars and Mads Mikkelsen are really hot, also psychopath siblings who lick people's cheeks, and well, so this started on twitter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-14
Updated: 2014-01-14
Packaged: 2018-01-08 17:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1135584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawkguyed/pseuds/wintervioleteye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And what is it you need to know of this Doctor Lecter, Agent Crawford?" </p><p>Crawford may not show it, but Charles Magnussen can smell fear (not quite literally, but close enough) from miles away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)

**Author's Note:**

> So uh, where do I start? It started with a conversation about Lars and Mads Mikkelsen and how Magnussen reminded me of Hannibal and then it sort of went downhill from there.

_“The Devil pulls the strings which make us dance;_  
We find delight in the most loathsome things;  
Some furtherance of Hell each new day brings,  
And yet we feel no horror in that rank advance.”  
― Charles Baudelaire

"Doctor Hannibal Lecter."

There are no pleasantries in this, this is a business meeting with a brand new client - not quite wealthy but well connected and suspicious of someone a very long way from home - one that undoubtedly will be very helpful in the future, given the nature of his client and his client's request.

Magnussen cocks his head, the movement almost snake-like.

Across the desk, he can see the not-quite shudder from his client. How interesting. Law enforcement, he sees it in the stance and posture of how the man sits, in the cut of his suit. Magnussen resolutely does not lick his lips, instead he allows himself to smile, rising to his feet and casually strolling around the heavy desk that separates his client and himself.

This is strictly off the books for Crawford, obviously, judging by how the agent's identification has been kept in his pocket.

It doesn't mean Charles won't analyze him. Everyone is fair game, after all, even if they're not inside of Appledore. From politicians to the everyday mailman, everyone has something that can be used against them. Everyone has something to hide. The information is stored, written neatly down on a folder that Magnussen files away for later use. Everything can be useful. Everything is an advantage.

Behavioral sciences. The top shark threatened by a new predator and turning to another equally dangerous creature in a feeble attempt to equal the balance.

"And what is it you need to know of this Doctor Lecter, Agent Crawford?"

Crawford may not show it, but Charles Magnussen can smell fear (not quite literally, but close enough) from miles away.

Fingers trail over Crawford's shoulders, pausing briefly on that tanned neck. The agent's pulse is just a little jumpy, mostly calm, and Magnussen can barely suppress the excitement of discovering his pressure point. A co-worker, perhaps. Or a loved one. For most people, most ordinary people, it is so ridiculously easy to find it.

His fingers slip away, leaving a faint glisten.

"Everything." How eager the man is. All the better to trap and reel in, and when the time comes, to use this tiny little tidbit against him. Besides, Magnussen finds his own curiosity piqued by the very idea of someone dangerous enough to drive an FBI agent to desperation and make him go running halfway across the world to a man whose primary business is information. Blackmail is such a crass word, after all.

"Everything has a price, Agent Crawford." Everyone has a pressure point, but Magnussen doesn’t say that.

It’s a deal with the devil.

“Name it.”

Charles Magnussen smiles, all teeth and the dark promise of something far more. Jack Crawford has just signed his own secrets away, even if the man doesn’t know it yet, and Magnussen will sink his claws so far in that even half a world away, Crawford won’t be able to escape.

Then of course, he’ll do the same to Hannibal Lecter.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops! So I didn't realize I misspelt Magnussen (gdi I can never remember that name glkjalskjdma)


End file.
